The Motivational Salience of Infant Faces Is Similar for Men and Women
2011

How Men and Women Respond to Baby Faces

Sample size: 71 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Christine E. Parsons, Katherine S. Young, Nina Kumari, Alan Stein, Morten L. Kringelbach

Primary Institution: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

Hypothesis

Do men and women respond differently to infant faces based on their features?

Conclusion

Both men and women find infant faces appealing, but women rate them as more attractive than men do.

Supporting Evidence

  • Women rated infant faces as significantly more attractive than men did.
  • Both genders showed similar viewing times for infant faces.
  • Participants had little experience caring for infants, which may affect their responses.

Takeaway

This study shows that both men and women think babies are cute, but women think they are cuter than men do.

Methodology

Participants rated the attractiveness of infant and adult faces and indicated how long they wanted to view them.

Potential Biases

Social desirability may have influenced how participants rated infant attractiveness.

Limitations

The study was conducted with participants who had little experience caring for infants, which may not reflect real-world interactions.

Participant Demographics

71 healthy participants aged 17-24, with 34 males and 37 females.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0020632

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